In 1978, writer Gloria Steinem penned a satirical essay about what would happen if men were the ones who menstruated. Because our culture values masculinity, she argued, periods would be celebrated — even praised. Cramps would already have a cure, and bleeding an average of five days a month would be a symbol of strength, not weakness.

Instead, anyone with a period has become accustomed to concealing their periods with modern technology like tampons and pads with wings, explains Lara Freidenfelds, Ph.D., a women’s-health historian. “If you could successfully hide it with the right products, you could be like the boys,” she says. But some people have begun to reject this sentiment. “It’s not about controlling your body but rather controlling the conversation,” Freidenfelds states.

This change in attitude has been enabled in part by conversations on social media. Someone who once may have felt guilt or embarrassment about their body might now be able to speak out or access support through online feminist communities, says Jennifer L. Morgan, Ph.D., a history professor in the department of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University.
“I don’t feel apologetic, like I used to when I was younger,” says Fiona Reinhold, a 20-year-old junior at the University of Vermont. “Society has become a lot more accepting of periods.” Juliet Williams, Ph.D., a professor of gender studies at
the University of California, Los Angeles, says broader body-positivity campaigns have also contributed to this new view of menstruation. Twenty-year-old Devin Russell, also a junior at UVM, says, “It’s nonsense that I feel like I have to whisper in the library to ask another girl for a tampon.” This generation is realizing that having a vagina that bleeds is not a curse — being forced to pretend to have zero bodily functions is.

Last March, poet Rupi Kaur made headlines after posting a photo of herself on Instagram, curled up in bed with blood on the back of her sweatpants. A month later, Kiran Gandhi, a drummer and Harvard Business School graduate, finished the London Marathon proudly sporting a large red stain on her crotch. And #JustATampon, a campaign aimed at dismantling the secrecy around periods, trended last June when countless women and men holding tampons posted selfies on Twitter.

Menstruation has even become a political issue as activists and elected officials push to end the “tampon tax.” In the majority of states, feminine hygiene products are subject to sales tax as nonnecessities — but as YouTube star Ingrid Nilsen told President Barack Obama, “I don’t know anyone who has a period who thinks it’s a luxury.”

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a vice president at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, says, “People who menstruate shouldn’t have to pay an extra fee for a necessary product that enables them to be productive citizens.” The New York City Council passed legislation recently to make tampons free in schools, homeless shelters, and prisons, which helps address the additional financial burden placed on low-income women. Amanda Saich, a 20-year-old junior at Vassar College,
is glad there is finally the start of an open political dialogue about menstruation. She believes the lack of frank conversation contributed to discrimination around periods. Amanda is proud of her cycle, saying, “It is a symbol of strength and femininity, which are not mutually exclusive.”

While many in the West are fighting to dispel the period taboo, in other parts of the world menstruation comes with far greater consequences than shame. According to a 2015 report from UNICEF and the World Health Organization, at least 500 million women around the globe lack the resources for managing their periods. In countries such as Nepal and Uganda, some girls miss school during their cycles and eventually drop out. Despite this crisis, in the United States we may have actually reached a monumental turning point where you don’t have to be a celebrated writer or a full-time activist to fight the stigma surrounding menstruation. All you have to do is stop prioritizing other people’s comfort over your own. It’s not about controlling your body but rather controlling the conversation.

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To break the cycle of period stigma, we found two things you can do right now. One is for yourself, and the other is for someone else. For you (or a friend), we found the Kali Box, considered the Birchbox of periods. For $20 each moth, you'll receive a subscription box that comes with organic tampons, individually wrapped Kali Wipettes, and their signature rosewater facial toner and spray. It's time we associated our periods with getting cute gifts delivered to our door.

And you shouldn't stop at treating yourself, because in order to end period shaming, we need to pass that empowerment on. Donating $10 to ZanaAfrica Foundation will help provide disposable pads, underwear, and sexual-health education to Kenyan girls, almost half of whom don't know what their period is when they first menstruate.